Homemade garam masalaIf you cannot find garam masala in store, you can follow my simple recipe for homemade garam masala. Most of the spices are already in powder form, so if you lack a good spice grinder, this should work. It is best to dry toast all the spices in a frying pan until fragrant before grinding/storing. This recipe should yield roughly cup worth of garam masala: 3 tablespoon coriander powder (Indonesian: bubuk ketumbar) 3 tablespoon cumin powder (Indonesian: bubuk jinten) 1 tablespoon ground white pepper (Indonesian: bubuk lada putih) 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (Indonesian: bubuk kapulaga) 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder (Indonesian: bubuk kayu manis) 1 teaspoon nutmeg powder (Indonesian: bubuk pala) 1 teaspoon chili powder (Indonesian: bubuk cabe) 3 whole star anise (Indonesian: bunga lawang/pekak), grind into powder (about 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise) 2 teaspoon cloves (Indonesian: cengkeh), grind into powder (about 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)Place all the spices in a frying pan, and dry toast until fragrant. If you are using whole spices, grind into powder with a spice grinder. I usually use a spice attachment that comes with my blender for this. Once the spice is cool, transfer to a jar. The garam masala should keep well for up to 4 months if stored properly (i.e. wherever you usually store your spices).